API definitions
Introduction
Datastorms is designed to seamlessly fit into any application landscape, ensuring controlled and secure data exchange across your entire software ecosystem. By configuring API definitions directly at the project level, you maintain granular control over which specific data subsets are exposed to or ingested from third-party systems.
API definitions types
To facilitate flexible and secure data integration, Datastorms categorizes its API connections into three distinct types, each serving a specific role in your data architecture. The table below provides a quick reference guide to these API definitions: Provider, Receiver, and Interactive. It breaks down their operational mode (Passive vs. Active), identifies which system takes the initiative during communication, lists the supported HTTP methods, and summarizes the primary purpose of each connection type.
| API Type | Mode | Initiative | Supported methods | Primary purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Passive | External application | GET | Delivers specific project data to external systems upon request. |
| Receiver | Passive | External application | POST | Accepts incoming data pushed from external systems into Datastorms. |
| Interactive | Active | Datastorms | GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE | Actively pushes or fetches data using automated Datastorms workflows. |
Understanding Connection Modes
Passive Integration (Provider & Receiver)
In passive mode, Datastorms functions as an available, secure endpoint waiting for incoming requests. The external application initiates all communication; Datastorms remains reachable but does not initiate contact on its own.
- Provider APIs host specific outbound data, making it readable whenever an external system executes a GET request.
- Receiver APIs act as entry points to ingest inbound data whenever an external system sends a POST request.
Active Integration (Interactive)
In active mode, Datastorms takes the initiative to drive the data exchange. Coupled with our built-in workflow engine, Interactive APIs proactively communicate with target applications. This means Datastorms itself reaches out to external systems to fetch required data or push updates based on defined schedules, events, or status changes.